Rail-joint.



L. A. GORMAN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, 1911.

1,020,039. Patented Mar. 12,1912.

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LEXIE A. GORMAN, OF GERMANTOWN, TENNESSEE.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application filed June 6, 1911. Serial No. 631,639.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEXIE A. GORMA'N, a citizen of the United States,residing at irermantown, in the county of Shelby, State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rail joints and has for an object to provide arail joint composed of a few simple and inexpensive parts.

A further object of the invention is to obviate the use of the usualfish plates, a novel U-shaped coupling member performing the function ofthe fish plates and fish plate bolts.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain noveldetails of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, it being understood that various modificationsmay be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification :-Figure1 is a perspective detail view of one of the rail ends with the couplingmembers applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through therail joint. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 Fig.2. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a modified form ofjoint.

Referring now to the drawing, the abutting rail ends are designated bythe reference numerals 10 and 11, each of these rail ends being providedin its end face with a circular longitudinal orifice 12, this orificebeing formed in the rail web which latter is considerably thickened, asshown at 13 to provide sufficient material for making this orificewithout weakening the rail. The orifices 12 aline when the rail ends arein abutment and receive the opposite extremities of a pin 14, this pinwhen in operative position preventing movement laterally of the railends relatively to each other.

A coupling member is designated in gen eral by the numeral 15 and isshown to be formed of a single length of round material bentapproximately U-shaped, the bridge portion 16 of this member beingadapted to lie along one side of the abutting rail webs and take theplace of the usual fish plate mounted upon this side. The legs 17 ofthecoupling member extend through alining openings 18 forn'led in the railwebs,

' the legs projecting considerably beyond the opposite side faces of therail webs and be ing threaded as shown at 20 to receive retaining nuts21. A fish plate 22 is interposed between the retaining nuts andopposite side faces of the rail webs and the retaining nuts are screwedup tight against this fish plate in mounting the coupling member.

It will be observed that by virtue of this U-shaped coupling memberlongitudinal displacement of the rail ends relatively with each other isprevented, while at the same time by virtue of the bridge 16 of thismember being free from anchorage members such as bolts, screws or thelike, that there will be a certain amount of flexibility to this bridgemember so that the rails can expand and contract slightly. It willfurther be observed that the legs of this U-shaped coupling member takethe place of the usual fish bolts employed in rail joints so that thejoint is formed of a less number of parts than usual. It will further benoted that the pin 14 is of such length that it nearly abuts againstthelegs of the U-shaped coupling member, this disposition of the legs ofthe coupling member across the ends of the pin serving to hold the pinat two points on opposite sides of its center against movement so thatcreeping of the pin and consequent rattling ofthe joint is prevented.

In Fig. 1 is shown a modified form of my invention, and in this instanceit will be noted that the pin 14' is provided with orifices whichreceive the legs of the U-shaped coupling member 15. By virtue of thisconstruction a more rigid rail joint is formed than in the preferredconstruction above described.

What is claimed, is

1. A rail joint including in combination with two abutting rail endshaving longitudinal alining orifices in their webs, and havingtransverse orifices opening through. the web sides and communicatingwith said longitudinal orifices, of a pin having its op posite endsengaged in said longitudinal orifices, and a U-shaped coupling memberhaving its bridge portion extending along the rail Web sides and havingits legs engaged through the transverse orifices in said Webs andpreventing creeping of the pin, a fish plate extending along theopposite rail Web sides from the bridge portion of the coupling memberand connecting the terminals of the coupling member legs, and retainingnuts upon said legs bearing against said fish plate.

2. A rail joint including in combination with tWo abutting rail endshaving longitudinal alining orifices in their Webs, and havingtransverse orifices opening through the Web sides and communicating Withsaid longitudinal orifices, a pin having its opposite ends engaged insaid longitudinal orifices,

and having openings registering With said transverse orlfices, aU-shaped coupllng member having 1ts bridge portlon extendlng along therail Web sides and having its legs engaged through the registeringtransverse openings in the pin and rail Webs, a fish plate extendingalong the opposite rail eb side and connecting the terminals of saidlegs, and retaining nuts upon said legs bearing against said fish plate.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

LEXIE A. GORMAN. Witnesses W. L. GRIFFIN, W. H. MoVAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

